Thill-coupling



` (NoModel.)

D. PARKER.

TEILL GOUPLING.

' No. 531,558. Patentednec. 25, 1894.

v i u a INVENTOH w/TNESSES.'

BY A y #60% o I f/f I UNITED STATES f PATENT OFFICE.

YDANIEL PARKER, OF CALVERT, TEXAS.

THlLL-couPLlNG.

sPEcIFIcA'rIoN forming part ef ,Lettere Patent No. 531,558, aerea December 25,1 894.

Application tiled March 3,189@ Serial No. 502,208. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, DANIEL PARKER, of Calvert, in the county of Robertson rand State of Texas, have invented a new and Improved Thill-Ooupling, of whichv the following is a full, clear, and'exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in couplings such as are used in attaching thills and poles to the axle of a vehicle and the object of `my inventions to produce a thill coupling of the greatest simplicity, strength and cheapness, which can be conveniently .applied to any ordinary vehicle, which is arranged in such a Way thatrattling is positively prevented, and which, when the thills are dropped, permits them to be freely lifted from the coupling; also to a modified form of the device designed to prevent rattlin-g only.

To these ends, my invention consists Iof a thill coupling, the construction of which will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1l is a sectional elevation of my improved coupling asV applied to the thill and axle, the thill being shown in its raised position in which itis held when the carriage is in use. Fig. 2 is a similar view, butwith the thill dropped. Fig.k 3 is a sectional plan on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of a modified form of the device. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the abutment plate which is secured to the thill and is adapted to hold the anti-rattling block in place; and Fig. 6 is a broken detail View of armodied form of the coupling, with the abutment plate integral with the pole iron.

As illustrated, the axle 10 is of the usual kind, having secured to it the customary clip' 11, which is provided with the usual basel plate or. bar 12, the plate or bar being of the usual kind, except that it is prolonged so that its front end 13-projects forward beneath the lugs 14, which are arranged parallel with each other and are secured to the clip 11 in the usual way. The lugs 14 carry the coupling bolt 15 which extends transversely through them in the customary manner, and this bolt is adapted to engage the knuckle 16 of the thill iron 17, which knuckle is made preferably in the form of a hook, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so that it may readily engage or be removed from thebolt 15; and the back of the knuckle is thickened, as shown at 18, so that when the thill iron is raised to the position illustrated in Fig. 1, the thick or cam-like portion of the knuckle will press firmly against the anti-rattling block V20, and bind the block in its place.

' The thill iron 17 is secured to the thill 19 in the Acustomary manner, and the anti-rattling block 20, which is of rubber, is inserted between the lugs 14 and behind the knuckle 16, resting on the prolonged front end 13 of the clip bar' or plate 12. The block 2O is prevented from jumping out, by the abutment plate 21, which when the thill 19 is raised, extends directly across the top of the antirattling block, the plate having a shank 22 which is arranged substantially at right angles to it, and it is longitudinally slotted, as shown at 23, to receive the bolt 24e by which it is fastened to the thill, this arrangement also permitting the adjustmentof the shank longitudinally of the thill, so that the abutment plate maybe brought into the desired position with relation to the anti-rattling block 20.

It will be observed that when the thill 'is in y its normal position for use, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the block 2O will be bound between the lugs 14, the knuckle 16 and the clip 11 on its sides, while at the top and bottom it will be held by the abutment plate 21 and the end 13 of the clip plate so that the blockfcannot scribed above, it may be simply perforatedy like the knuckle 16a shown in Fig. et to receive the bolt, and then itis of course necessary to remove the bolt'before removing the knuckle, but in this case the knuckle is IOO the same in principle, as it has the thickened back 18 adapted to impinge on the anti-rattling block 20.

In Fig. 6, I have shown a pole iron 25, having a knuckle like the one shown in Fig. l, and an abutment plate 21 formed integral with the pole iron and projecting above the block 20.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to use the anti-rattlin g block and the thickened knuckle, but my ari-augment of the abutment plate and clip plate 12 serves, in combination with the other parts of the coupling, to prevent any possible displacement of the'anti-rattlin g block, and this combination is believed to be new.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as nevi7 and desire to secure by Letters l Patentthe back and adapted for pivotal connection with the said lugs in advance of the resilient block, andan abutment plate on the back of the thill projecting beyond the back of the knuckle and above the yielding block, substantially as described.

2. A thill coupling, comprising an axle clip having forwardly projecting lugs and a base plate having its front end projecting beneath the lugs, a resilient block whose lower end rests on the said base plate between the lugs, the thill iron having a knuckle thickened at the back and adapted for pivotal connection with the said lugs in advance of the resilient block, and an abutment plate held on the rear surface of the thill and adjustable longitudinally thereof, the said abutment plate projecting beyond the back of the knuckle and above the yielding block, substantially as described.

DANIEL PARKER.

Witnesses:

JAS. I. GALLOWAY, W. M. GARRETT. 

